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Paphos Chamber Of Commerce Champions European Culinary And Wine Tourism

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

March 17, 2026

European Collaboration Fuels Culinary Innovation

Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry took part in the second meeting of the EnoGastroDest-Interreg Europe programme held in Pécs. Representatives Stefanos Hadjioannou and Natasa Demetriou joined discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in wine and gastronomy tourism across European regions. Participation in the programme brings together 11 partners and supports the link between cultural heritage and tourism development.

Preserving A Rich Culinary Legacy

Discussions focused on how traditional food and wine practices can support regional tourism. Emphasis was placed on preserving local culinary identity while developing more sustainable tourism models. Wine and gastronomy tourism is increasingly viewed as a sector contributing to regional economies, particularly in areas with established wine production.

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Redefining Wine And Gastronomy Tourism

Activities in this segment include wine tastings, food festivals and cooking workshops. Such formats reflect local traditions and provide visitors with direct interaction with regional products. Access to vineyards and wineries also allows visitors to observe production processes, a format that has gained traction in recent years.

Strategic Initiatives And Future Growth

Within the EnoGastroDest programme, traditional winemaking and culinary heritage are combined with newer tourism approaches. Planned activities include workshops, webinars and study visits to wineries, farms and agrotourism sites. Participants also exchange policy approaches and operational practices, with a focus on long-term development of the wine and gastronomy tourism sector.

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Cypriot Startup LIVIA Wins Europe’s Top Youth Entrepreneurship Competition

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 29, 2026

A Cypriot university team has won the European GEN-E 2026 youth entrepreneurship competition with LIVIA, a smart agriculture platform that combines satellite data, autonomous drones and artificial intelligence to help farmers improve irrigation, detect disease earlier and reduce pesticide use.

Alongside first place, the team received the FedEx Access Award, expanding its access to investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts across Europe.

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Initially developed for vineyards, LIVIA analyses individual plants and turns complex data into practical recommendations. The team is now preparing its first functional product and pilot projects in Cyprus, with plans to expand into additional crops and international markets.

From An Idea To Smart Agriculture

LIVIA began with a simple question: how could satellite data create practical value in everyday life? After exploring applications ranging from meteorology to marine biology, the team identified agriculture as the sector with the greatest potential.

Recognising the limitations of satellite imagery alone, particularly in resolution and update frequency, the founders integrated autonomous drones into the platform to provide more detailed field data.

Designed as a modular system, LIVIA can continuously incorporate new data sources and capabilities. Its initial focus is irrigation management, early disease detection and plant health monitoring, with vineyards serving as the first use case because of their importance to Cyprus and the team’s own experience.

Turning Data Into Decisions

Satellite imagery provides continuous monitoring of crops, while autonomous drones capture high-resolution images whenever greater precision is needed.

Artificial intelligence then combines those datasets with information collected by growers, including IoT sensors and field observations, to generate tailored recommendations for irrigation, disease prevention and resource management.

By analysing each plant individually, the platform enables precision agriculture rather than field-wide recommendations.

Building A Hardware And Software Startup

Developing LIVIA has required balancing advanced software with specialised hardware, including drones, multispectral cameras and charging stations, all while operating with limited resources.

Although the startup participates in the Bank of Cyprus IDEA programme and has secured non-equity funding, integrating multiple data sources into a reliable AI system remains its biggest technical challenge.

The Role Of Junior Achievement

Participation in the JA StartUp Programme helped transform the original concept into a business proposition through mentoring, coaching and pitch preparation.

Support continued after LIVIA won the national competition, with the Junior Achievement Cyprus team helping the founders prepare for the European final in Latvia.

European Recognition

Winning GEN-E 2026 and the FedEx Access Award marked the team’s biggest milestone to date and created new opportunities to connect with investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts across Europe.

The founders are now focused on completing their minimum viable product, launching pilot projects in Cyprus and expanding the platform to new crops and international markets.